Bambi Tales
by Zoltack429
Summary: <html><head></head>An outsider threatens to disturb the peace in the forest...</html>
1. Chapter 1

Bambi Tales

The Outsider

The bright, warm, and cheerful summer sun was about to make its grand appearance deep inside the sleeping forest. To all of the creatures that reside in the forest, seeing the sunrise was always a welcome sight because it signified the start of a new day. All of the animals started their morning rituals as they awoke from their slumbers. Among these animals were the noble and majestic deer. What remarkable and resilient creatures they are.

In the morning all of the deer will walk to the meadow to graze on the luscious green grass covered in the morning's dew. All of the deer belonged to a large herd led by a single prince called "The Great Prince" who is the oldest and wises deer in the forest. The Great Prince is very elusive, and only appears when there is great danger or other trouble afoot. The Great Prince bear only one son named Bambi. Bambi, an adult prince, has two children of his own; a son named Geno, and a daughter named Gurri. Geno and Gurri will spend most of their time with their mother Faline until they are old enough to wonder the forest by themselves. They will also visit the other deer in the forest on the meadow to either gossip or play silly games. A favorite game that all the fawns like to play is tag where one child will chase the others until he or she nudges someone else with their nose. Now they are no longer the pursuer, but the pursued; that is, until they are nudged again.

In the meadow, the does (female deer) will gather together to talk about issues or whatever else they have on their mind while the princes (the male deer) will gather in their own group, but they hardly speak with each other. The princes are mainly there to eat and rest to save energy for the fall when they become interested in the does again. The princes almost never speak to children unless they are their own.

On this particular morning, Geno and Gurri were playing with two other fawns named Amos and Lana. Their mother Rena is close friends with Geno and Gurri's mother Faline. The children, of course, were playing their favorite game tag, but as soon as they would get tired they would stop to speak with each other. Most of their conversations where gleeful, but sometimes someone will mention a dark subject that makes everyone feel awkward. These dark conversations will almost always include predators especially their super predator Man. The children are taught at an early age that Man is the worst enemy of all. Not even the cougar can match Him because you will always see the cougar coming. Oh sure you can smell Him from a great distance if the wind is right, but if the wind is wrong He can reach out and kill you without ever being spotted. Man usually comes to the forest during the fall, but sometimes He can show up earlier, and sometimes He doesn't do anything at all. Man is so strange and unpredictable; it is best just to keep your distance away from Him. Most of the animals in the forest believe that Man is a higher power. It is only the Great Prince and his son Bambi who know the real truth.

After the children had their grim conversation about Man, they started to play again; however, something caught the attention of Geno. He didn't know for sure what he was seeing, but from what he could tell it was a prince, a strange prince that he had never seen before in the meadow. This prince was small, and had a strange red band around his neck. Geno continued to stare at the strange beast which then aroused the attention of his sister.

"I have never seen that prince out on the meadow before," Geno said. "He walks strangely and makes a lot of noise, like a baby."

"I've never seen him before either," Gurri added. "But it's not like princes are interested in us nor are we interested in them."

"Not only does he walk weird," Amos said. "He has the smell of Man coming off of him which makes me nervous!"

Lana cried to her mother to gain her attention about the stranger. Not long after that, the strange buck caught the attention of every deer in the meadow including two princes named Ronno and Karus. Ronno is a middle-aged prince who walks on a limb because he was wounded by Man long ago. Karus, a younger prince, is always with Ronno mainly for protection. Ronno obtained his respect from the other princes through fear from his brute strength, but some also took pity on him for his disability. Ronno is extremely arrogant and rude. If it weren't for his strength or disability, he would be the least respected deer in the forest. Because the odor of Man was prevalent from the stranger, many were reluctant to meet him; except for the children whose curiosity got the best of them. Faline cried out for them to wait, but they were already standing in front of the strange prince who seemed afraid.

"Hello! How are you? My name is Geno. Do you have a name?" Geno asked in an excited and cheerful manner, but the prince just stood still staring at him. "Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you," Geno assured. His mother and the other does in the meadow finally arrived. Faline called Geno to get back to her side.

"You know better than to run off like that," Faline scolded. She then looked at the strange prince. The other does were whispering to each other commenting on the prince's collar he was wearing.

"He smells like Man."

"He's one of Man's pets."

"Look at that collar."

Finally Faline spoke again and said "come along everyone, leave the poor stranger alone. Can't you see he doesn't want to be bothered?"

All the does were about to leave, but then Ronno and Karus decided to see what all the commotion was about. They walked towards the strange prince, circled him, and asked him questions.

"Hmm, I've never seen you around here before," Ronno said.

"Do you have a name?" Karus asked. The does continued to watch, however, Faline insisted that they leave the stranger alone.

"We're curious, and we just want to know more about the stranger," Ronno told Faline, but Faline knew Karus and Ronno were up to no good. Ronno continued to speak with the prince, but the prince would not say a word back. "What's with the collar? Are you one of Man's pets? Do you know how to speak?" Ronno started to become frustrated. "Hello, I'm speaking to you; don't you know who I am? It's like speaking to a rock Karus," Ronno joked.

Karus laughed and agreed with Ronno. "His mind must be absent," Karus said. Faline, seeing the fear in the stranger's eyes, begged Karus and Ronno to stop harassing him.

Ronno began to grow hostile. "Leave him alone? Don't you know what he will bring? He will bring Man to kill us all! Just look at that collar he's wearing. He will lead Him to us for sure." Ronno argued. He then glared at the stranger and said "you are not welcome here, and you should leave before something awful happens to..."

Ronno paused because out of the corner of his eye he saw someone he did not expect to see; the Great Prince. The Great Prince stood tall and he glared at Ronno. The Great Prince was not alone, his son Bambi was right behind him. Ronno, being the disrespectful deer that he is said "I'm glad you're both here," and tried to convince the Great Prince to run the stranger out of the forest. The Great Prince was not going to dignify Ronno with a response. Instead he walked around the stranger to get a better look at him. Bambi stood quietly aside. The Great Prince with a calm yet commanding voice asked the stranger for his name, but the stranger said nothing. Then the Great Prince asked if he could understand him. Silence again. Ronno tried to convince the Great Prince again that the stranger won't speak because he is in league with Man, and not running him out of the forest will spell doom for everyone.

"The reason why he can't speak is because he doesn't know how to Ronno," Bambi said finally. "You can tell just by looking at him that he doesn't know what any of us are saying. He doesn't know anything about the forest, that's why he walks so sloppy. But he is welcome in our forest."

"Then what are you going to do with him then?" Ronno asked in a disrespectful manner. "I'm not going to teach him anything. I have more important things to do with my time."

"I will teach him." Bambi said. All the does looked at each other with surprise except for Faline who looked at Bambi with concern. "I will teach him how to talk, how to walk, and I will even give him a name."

"What kind of name?" Ronno asked rudely.

"Any kind of name he wants. It's entirely up to him." Bambi said.

"Alright Bambi, but you keep a close eye on him. If he slips up, then that's the end of your little friend," Ronno said. Ronno then turned around and walked briskly away from the herd with Karus. The other deer started to leave as well, but Faline was quite curious as to how Bambi was going to accomplish his task. She told him it's not going to be easy.

"He's not like a child. It will take longer for him to learn, and what if he causes trouble?" Faline asked.

"I will take care of it Faline, trust me." Bambi said. "I could use some help from the children."

Geno and Gurri were thrilled that their father wanted their help, but Faline was still having doubts. "What if he does something? What if he hurts someone?" She asked.

"I will keep a close eye on him, and in no time he will be accepted by everyone." Bambi said.

"Your father doesn't seem thrilled about it," Faline said. Bambi didn't notice that his father already left and that he was alone with Faline, the stranger, and the children.

"He doesn't get thrilled about anything," Bambi smiled.

Faline and the children left Bambi alone with the stranger. Bambi was already finding that helping the stranger was not going to be an easy task as he was trying to get the deer to follow him. Bambi tried nudging him, tossing his head in the direction he wanted him to go, and even pushing him from behind. Finally, the stranger understood and reluctantly followed Bambi to a small stream.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long to get the next chapter up; been busy with school. So here we go with the next chapter of what is still a mystery, which isn't the genre I intended this story to be. It's still a mystery because we don't know where this strange deer came from and why he's there in the first place. Personally, I think this chapter is a little dry, and hopefully as this mystery unfolds it will become more juicy. Please leave me your comments on the parts you thought were good or parts that fell flat. Feedback is always appreciated. Enjoy!**

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><p>Learning the Way of the Forest<p>

Once they arrived at the stream the stranger looked very thrilled and didn't hesitate to start drinking its cool water. The stranger drank very quickly which alarmed Bambi.

"Whoa, not so fast their fellow! You don't want to get cramps," Bambi said, but the stranger of course didn't listen and continued to drink rapidly. Bambi smirked and said "boy, you must be really thirsty. I guess it has been a while since you had any water."

Finally, the stranger stopped drinking and gave Bambi a look of gratefulness. Bambi smiled at him and thought if he was that thirsty, then maybe he is really hungry as well. Bambi told the stranger once again to follow him, and this time the strange prince wasn't as reluctant as before. Bambi led him to a small patch of clovers. The stranger appeared unfamiliar with clovers so Bambi had to show him that they were edible.

"It's okay, they're clovers, you eat them," Bambi said. Bambi then tore a mouthful of clovers from the ground and began chewing them. After noticing this, the stranger started sniffing the clovers, and then he took a small bite from the ground. He slowly chewed a couple of times then suddenly he stopped and looked up at Bambi. Bambi looked back at him puzzled. The stranger then smiled and started wolfing down more clovers. Bambi was once again alarmed and advised the stranger not to eat so quickly otherwise he would get a belly ache. The stranger, however, couldn't understand him and continued to eat quickly.

"Do you not get clovers where you're from?" Bambi asked, but the stranger ignored him and continued to gorge on the sweet clovers. Once finished, he let out a small "burp!" and plopped down on the ground. Bambi was surprised to see how lazy the stranger was especially because once you're done eating you go find a place to hide in the shade to digest. However, Bambi noticed the stranger looking at something very intently; he was looking at the sparrows perched on a nearby tree branch.

"Those are birds," Bambi said. The stranger jumped up to his feet and stared at Bambi for a moment. Then to Bambi surprise the stranger uttered something. It wasn't quite a word, but Bambi knew immediately that he was trying to say "bird."

"Bah…bah," the stranger said. Bambi kept encouraging him and soon the strange prince finally said "bird!"

Bambi was very thrilled which excited the stranger who looked at another object; it was a flower. "That's a flower," Bambi said. The stranger looked at him, and was trying to say flower, but Bambi had to help him a little bit. "Yes, flow-er," Bambi said. The stranger took another deep breath and shouted "flower!"

Bambi laughed and cheered. He then taught the stranger to say other things like tree, rock, meadow, pond, and many other things.

It didn't take the stranger long, about three weeks, to learn simple sentences. His doesn't have great grammar, but he could be understood by Bambi. The strange deer trusted Bambi, and would follow him pretty much anywhere. It was import to Bambi not to let the strange buck out of his sight in order to protect him from Ronno or warn him about other dangers. One day Bambi wanted to give the strange prince a name.

"What is name?" the stranger asked.

"A name is something to be called by," Bambi said, but the prince just gave him a blank stare. "What would you like to be called?" Bambi asked. The stranger then looked even more puzzled.

"I not know name," the stranger said. "You give me name."

Bambi was reluctant, and asked the stranger if he was sure that's what he wanted. The strange prince nodded his head, and Bambi started to think of a name for him. After a moment, Bambi finally thought of a name to give the strange prince.

"For now on, you will be known as Amicus," Bambi said. The stranger looked confused. "So I'm Bambi, you are Amicus," Bambi said. The stranger finally understood and grinned at Bambi. "Now that you have a name I will introduce you to some friends of mine."

"What is friend?"

"A friend is someone you know well," Bambi replied.

"Is Bambi friend?"

"Yes, I am your friend," Bambi said. "But you should learn to make new friends; therefore I'll take you to meet some of my friends that I have known most of my life." Bambi said.

"What is life?" Amicus asked, but Bambi told him that he would answer his question later. He then told Amicus to follow him which he did. They arrived at the meadow where the rest of the herd was. Bambi confidently stepped onto the meadow, but Amicus was a little hesitant. Bambi knew the stranger was feeling nervous and reassured him that he would be alright. Amicus trotted along Bambi side smiling. They both approached Faline and the children who were grazing on the grass. Bambi greeted Faline and the children.

"Hello Bambi how is your new friend?" Faline asked.

"Why don't you ask him yourself, his name is Amicus," Bambi said.

Faline looked and smiled at Amicus and said "hello Amicus, that's a really nice name."

Amicus just stared back not knowing what to say, so Bambi had to help him out. "You say hello back when someone says it to you."

Amicus finally realized what he had to do and he looked at Faline with much excitement and shouted "hello!"

"Her name is Faline," Bambi whispered.

"Faline!" Amicus shouted again. Bambi told him he didn't have to shout. Bambi then introduced the children to Amicus.

"This is Geno,"

"Geno!"

"And Gurri."

"Gurri!"

Gurri couldn't help herself anymore and started chuckling. She then looked at her mother and said "he talks funny mama."

"Now Gurri, that's not very polite," Faline said. "He is still trying to learn, and he is making remarkable progress thanks to your father."

Faline asked Bambi if they could talk to each other alone for a moment. Bambi agreed, and told Amicus to stay where he was.

"I'll be right back," Bambi said. "Children, maybe you can show him around a little bit, but don't wonder too far off."

Both the children said "yes father," and they told Amicus to follow them, but Amicus looked back at Bambi concerned. Bambi had to reassure him that he will be alright. Once Amicus and the children left, Faline congratulated Bambi for making great progress with Amicus.

"But don't you think you should be doing the same with your children?" Faline asked.

"Geno and Gurri already know how to walk through the forest, and they know how to talk," Bambi said. "It seems Amicus has never been in a forest before. He doesn't know anything about the world we live in, and if he's going to be a part of this herd he needs to learn. I will spend more time with the children when they are old enough to be by themselves."

"The fact that he doesn't know much about the forest, and he wears that collar around his neck scares me Bambi," Faline says. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you about my brother Gobo who trusted Man."

"That's not going to happen to Amicus. I will teach him, and before winter comes he will be like the rest of us."

Geno and Gurri were trying to teach Amicus how to play tag. They would shout "watch us" to show him how the game was played. Amicus however, was very confused. Amicus was unfamiliar with playing and what it's like to be a child, but he would watch what the children would do with great interest. Geno and Gurri would encourage Amicus to play with them or at the very least frolic through the meadow. It turned out that Amicus, once he tried it, really loved frolicking through the meadow, and it didn't take long for him before he got carried away. Geno shouted at him not to go any further. Amicus stopped in an instant.

"We're not allowed to go so far," Geno said.

"Why," Amicus asked.

"Because mother said not to."

"What is mother?" Amicus asked. Geno and Gurri were very surprised at the question.

"You don't know what a mother is?" Gurri asked. "Didn't you have a mother when you were growing up?"

"I don't know…"

"You had to have had a mother," Geno said. "You wouldn't be alive if you didn't because a mother is who gives birth to you and takes care of you when you were a child."

"What is alive?"

"You are alive right now. Alive means you can see, smell, touch, taste, hear, play games, breath air, eat grass, drink water, and having friends," Geno said. Amicus continued to stand and stare at Geno looking puzzled as always.

"It's hopeless Geno, he doesn't understand you," Gurri said. "How can someone who is older than us know so little about the world? What happened to him? Where did he grow up?"

All of them were startled when they heard the bushes rustling in front of them. The noise was created by Ronno and Karus who were watching Amicus and the children play. They emerged out from the bushes.

"Hello!" Amicus shouted. However, the children became worried because they knew they were in trouble from wondering off too far.

Ronno smiled at Amicus and said "ah, you know how to speak," as he and Karus surrounded him. Ronno then glared at the children which caused them to run away. Amicus tried to follow, but Ronno stood in his way. "Oh, no you stay with us so we can talk."

"You no say 'hello' back. You no polite," Amicus said.

"Oh jeez, you're right, where are my manners Karus?" Ronno asked looking at Karus. He then glared at Amicus and said "I don't say 'hello' to morons like you. Soon enough you'll learn some respect. Don't you know who you're talking to?"

"I know not your name," Amicus said.

"Durrr, 'I know not your name,'" Ronno mocked. Karus laughed and said "he's such a loon! We should just kill him now to rid us of his foolery."

"What is kill?" Amicus asked.

"It means you're dead, the opposite of alive you idiot. Jeez, you can't be that stupid," Ronno said rolling his eyes.

"I like alive. I no want to be dead," Amicus said.

"Well then, I suggest you start calling me 'Ronno.' No, no, you have to call me 'sir' otherwise I will make you dead. Do you understand that?" Ronno screamed at Amicus.

"Leave him alone!" Bambi shouted emerging from the bushes. "He wasn't bothering you Ronno so stop threatening him." Amicus was thrilled to see Bambi and immediately ran towards him.

"Hello Bambi!"

"Hello Amicus, stand beside me here," Bambi commanded. Amicus did what he was told and stood to the left of Bambi.

"Well, look at what the wind blew my way," Ronno said. "Bambi, what an unpleasant surprise. Me and Karus were only teaching your pet about manners." Bambi didn't say anything as he turned around and walked the other direction with Amicus following him. "Hey, if he comes anywhere near my territory again, I will kill him!"

Bambi led Amicus back to the clover patch. Amicus began eating, but Bambi wanted to have a serious talk with him.

"You need to be careful where you go Amicus," Bambi said. "If you wonder off to far you will end up in trouble like today."

Amicus asked with a mouthful of clovers "what is trouble?"

"Trouble is when your life is being threatened," Bambi said. "I know I haven't taught you what life is because it's something that can't be taught by words or actions. Life is something you experience for yourself. During your life you will learn new things, gain friendships, and find love. Do you understand?"Amicus just continued to stare at Bambi. This didn't offend Bambi because even though Amicus didn't understand, he was still listening. "You should get some rest because tomorrow I am going to teach you about danger."


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright guys, chapter 3, the story gets a little more interesting. Don't forget to write a review. Feedback is always appreciated.**

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><p>Missing<p>

Early next morning, Bambi woke up from his usual slumber, stood up and started walking towards his favorite clover patch. Of course, however, he had to go wake up Amicus as well for he had an important lesson to teach him; danger. Bambi felt that this was an important subject to touch up on with Amicus because last fall Faline's brother Gobo was killed by forgetting what danger was. Sure, Gobo new that the fox, the wolf, and the cougar were dangerous, but what he had forgotten was the danger of Man which consequently led him to his demise. So in order to prevent the same fate for his new friend, Bambi was going to have to teach Amicus a lesson he should never forget.

Anxious to get started, Bambi quickly arrived to where he had thought Amicus had bed down for the evening, but there was a problem; Amicus was not there. The only thing that was there was the stench of Man, which is not common for this time of year. Bambi's first thought was Amicus must already be at the clover patch, gorging himself again to another stomach ache no doubt. So Bambi headed to the clover patch, but Amicus wasn't their either. He then traveled to the stream, and again Amicus wasn't there. Bambi then started to become worried, but he had one more place to check; the meadow.

Bambi arrived at the meadow where he hoped to find Amicus, but the meadow was completely empty. All the animals were hiding from the smell of Man. However, he did spot Faline and the children on the edge of the meadow nibbling on the grass. Bambi wondered if they perhaps seen Amicus, so he gingerly approached them because of the possibility of Man being in the forest. He greeted Faline, Gurri, and Geno and asked them if they had seen Amicus.

"He's missing?" Faline asked. "He couldn't have gotten far since he doesn't really know his way around the forest."

Bambi agreed, but then he suddenly remembered what Ronno said yesterday. Maybe Ronno had something to do with Amicus's disappearance. Bambi told his family that he had to go and to remain on the lookout for Man. Bambi didn't want to run through the meadow, so he had to take the long way around the edge in order to remain hidden from any possible dangers. Once he entered Ronno's territory he prepared himself for a vicious conflict. Ronno, who just finished his morning meal, was lying in his bedding area underneath a crabapple tree. Bambi's presents was surely not welcomed.

"What are you doing here in my territory?" Ronno snarled.

"Where is he Ronno?" Bambi demanded. "Where is Amicus? I know what you said to him yesterday."

"He's missing? Well good riddance," Ronno said. "You smell that in the air? That is what he is bringing to our forest; death. I'm telling you Bambi, he is in league with Man, and he will tell Him where we are, and we will all die. He's probably telling Him right now. Why do you put so much trust in strangers?"

"Why do you put so little trust in strangers?" Bambi asked.

"So I can survive," Ronno said. "Now, if you don't have anything extremely pressing to tell me, then I should have to ask you to leave. I haven't seen your stupid friend all morning, and if I did I would have already killed him and informed you about it. So if you don't mind I would like to get back to my after-meal nap that you interrupted."

Bambi turned around and left. As arrogant as Ronno was, Bambi knew that he was telling the truth. Although he was disappointed that Amicus was still missing, he was relieved to know that Ronno didn't kill him. He wandered back to his territory trying to think where Amicus could have gone. He left no scent, and no trail. All Bambi could smell was the familiar stench of Man, which was starting to dissipate. Bambi thought about it so much that he forgot to eat his breakfast. He though if he ate something, then maybe it will help him think. So he walked to his clover patch and started eating until he heard a shrill voice up above. It was a squirrel.

"Are you still looking for your friend?" The squirrel asked Bambi.

"Have you seen him?" Bambi responded.

"Man killed him last night, and took his carcass away," the squirrel said.

Bambi was first in denial; thinking he should have taught Amicus to stay away from man sooner. However, how could Man have killed Amicus without making the hideous noise of the thunder-stick? Bambi asked the squirrel.

"Oh there was a cracking noise like a tree branch snapping," the squirrel said. "But it was very faint. I don't think anyone heard it except for me because I was already awake. They came right through here and carried your friend away. I can't answer anymore questions, I must leave. Goodbye."

The squirrel leaped from tree branch to tree branch until he could no longer be seen by Bambi who was puzzled no doubt. He was beginning to become frustrated because there were still so many unanswered questions like how was Man able to get through the forest without being detected, and how were they able to find Amicus during the night? After thinking for a while, Bambi began to become remorseful. He thought to himself that he had failed Amicus and thought that will be the last time he helped any strangers. On the other hand, he no longer bears the burden of teaching even though Amicus was learning very quickly. Nonetheless, Bambi decided it was best to move on; there was nothing more he could do about poor Amicus.

A few days had passed, and Bambi was getting ready to bed down for the evening so he could digest his meal that he just ate. He arrived to his favorite spot, which is not too far away from where he used to grow up. He lay down on the ground and started chewing his cud. Amicus was still fresh in his mind, but what he was most concerned with was Man being in the forest so early. He usually comes during the fall, and it was still summer. Was Ronno right perhaps? Was Amicus in league with Him? If so, then why did they kill Amicus? It seems strange to be killed by an ally.

Suddenly, Bambi got a whiff of the familiar stench and instantly became anxious. He is here again, ready to hunt another one of us down, Bambi thought. Bambi was frozen with fear, and would not dare to leave his hiding space. The smell was getting closer. Even though Man are clumsy creatures that make a bunch of sound while traversing through the forest, Bambi couldn't hear or see Him, but they were close. The scent lasted for a while, but it was finally starting to dissipate which relaxed Bambi. It continued to dissipate until finally the scent was gone which meant Man was gone. Bambi thought that these must be new Man creatures that are very stealthy; he didn't hear them at all. Bambi relaxed enough to lay his head down and fell asleep.

During the next morning Bambi woke up and did his usual morning routine, but he shocked beyond belief when he saw something he did not expect. It was a deer lying on the ground lifelessly, and Bambi recognized him immediately; it was Amicus. Amicus lied on the ground on his side with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He was alive, because Bambi could hear his breath. Amicus had on the same collar he was wearing before around his neck. Another thing that Bambi noticed right away was how quickly Amicus's antlers were growing. They were getting to be as big as Bambi's which can't be possible because Bambi is an older buck.

Bambi tried several times to wake Amicus up because he had a lot of explaining to do. Amicus opened his eyes, and took in a deep breath. He lifted up his head and squinted at Bambi as if he was trying to recognize him again.

"Where am I," Amicus asked.

"You're safe now; back in the forest," Bambi answered.

Amicus tried to stand back up, but he was still groggy. Watching Amicus get up was like watching a new-born fawn trying to get up. Amicus finally made it on his feet, but his legs were shaking. He tried to take a step towards Bambi, but he almost fell over.

"Maybe you should take it a little easy huh?" Bambi said. "I can't imagine where you have been."

"I will be alright," Amicus said. "I'm just a little tired."

"Your speech has improved quite a bit, and you're antlers are coming in nicely," Bambi said. "What happened to you?"

"I don't know. All I remember is falling asleep, and then waking up here," Amicus said.

"You don't remember anything? You were gone for more than three days," Bambi said.

This didn't surprise Amicus because he didn't have any perception of time such as what a day, a week, a season, or a year was. Amicus didn't know what it meant to be gone for a long time. As strange as Amicus looked or how he acted, Bambi was still glad to see that he was still alive. After all, Amicus is still his friend.

It didn't take long for Amicus to snap out of whatever trance he was in, and he followed Bambi to the clover patch for breakfast. It was where Bambi started to notice other strange things about his friend. He would eat and drink more than usual, and he could notice things that Bambi couldn't notice like the sound of the bees buzzing almost a half-a-mile away. He could smell things better than Bambi, and see things better too. He had bigger muscles than Bambi, and his coat was more golden as well. Bambi, however, pass these things off because Amicus was younger so naturally he would be stronger, and his abilities would be better. Suddenly, Amicus heard something in the bushes.

"Do you hear that?" Amicus asked Bambi.

"What is it?" Bambi asked.

"I don't know, but it's coming closer," Amicus said. He started walking towards the sound which Bambi could not hear. Amicus continued to stare at the bushes for a moment. He could hear a slight growling noise. "Get back!" Amicus shouted at Bambi. Bambi was most curious as to what was going on until finally it was made clear. A cougar jumped out of the bushes, and charged towards Bambi. Bambi turned around and sprinted away. He managed to lose track of the cougar, but he lost track of Amicus as well. Worried that something had happened to him, Bambi ran back hoping nothing bad had happened to Amicus. Bambi was relieved when he saw Amicus again, but something was wrong. Amicus was staring down at something on the ground. Bambi had to walk right next to Amicus to see what it was he was seeing. It was the cougar, and it had been slain.

"Did you do this?" Bambi asked.

"Yes," Amicus said. "You are my friend, and I protect you."

"But we don't kill things," Bambi said.

"Why not?" Amicus asked. "He was going to kill you. Anything that tries to hurt you, I will hurt them instead."


End file.
